The Union government told the Supreme Court that it had no objection to activist Sonam Wangchuk passing the notes he drafted during detention to his wife, Gitanjali Angmo. The bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N. V. Anjaria accepted this position and agreed to adjourn the matter to October 29.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Angmo, asked for permission to amend her petition challenging Wangchuk’s detention under the National Security Act, so she could respond specifically to the grounds of detention now supplied by the government. The bench acceded to the request, allowing an interlocutory application to expand the petition’s scope.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union government, submitted that while the state objected to no sharing of the notes, it was necessary that such permission not be turned into a tool to attack the detention order. He cautioned that the delay in providing grounds or in representation should not later be treated as fresh grounds for challenge.
In advocating for his client’s rights, Sibal told the Court that Wangchuk must be allowed access to legal assistance and that the notes he prepared were intended to facilitate that process. He emphasised that the petition would not rely on procedural delay but would contest the substance of the grounds furnished.
The Ladakh administration, through a detailed affidavit filed by the Leh District Magistrate, defended the legality of the detention order. The affidavit stated that the grounds of detention were delivered to Wangchuk within the five-day period mandated by law, that he acknowledged receipt of the same, and that he had not made any representation so far. It asserted that Tian Wangchuk’s move to Jodhpur Central Jail and the conditions of his confinement adhered to legal norms, including access to counsel, his family, and confinement in a normal barrack rather than solitary.
Counsel for the state also disputed allegations by Angmo that Wangchuk was denied access to communication or legal counsel, or that he was mistreated. Medical records submitted with the affidavit showed periodic health checks confirming normal health and no ongoing treatment for chronic illness.
The backdrop to this legal contest is the violence that erupted in Leh on 24 September, when protests pressing for Sixth Schedule status and greater autonomy turned turbulent. Four people died in police firing, prompting widescale unrest and subsequent arrests. Authorities have accused Wangchuk of making provocative statements that incited the violence; his supporters reject those claims, pointing to his decades-long advocacy in education and environmental reform, and describe his approach as peaceful and constitutional.
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